Saying Goodbye
by PixieChalk
Summary: Zel married Amelia after giving up hope of ever finding a cure. Now Zel is cured and Amelia thinks he regrets their marriage. Look for the sequel Running After You!


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Saying Goodbye

Goodbye by: Alicia Keys

Slayers Story by: ME ;p~

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Bye, bye

Amelia looked across the table at her husband. Today was their one-month anniversary. He seemed to have forgotten. Amelia sighed and thought back to their wedding. It had been the second happiest moment of her life. As corny as she was sure that sounded, it was absolutely true. The first happiest moment had been the actual proposal. She had loved and admired him for years now. So when he asked her for her hand in marriage she had been overwhelmed with happiness. At the time she had thought that this could only mean that he finally returned her feelings. 

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How do you love someone

That hurts you oh so bad

As she lifted her gaze from her untouched plate of food Amelia saw a sight that just magnified the doubts she was having. There sat her spouse flirting with the waitress! This seemed to be happening more and more frequently as the days passed. Out of the corner of her left eye Amelia saw Filia's eyes narrow in anger, and her hand itch towards the folds of her dress where her mace-sama was located. To Filia's left Xellos was looking alarmed, most likely assuming the anger was directed towards him. 

"Are you just going to let him get away with that Amelia!" hissed the golden dragon beside me.

"He's been doing it since last week. I'm used to it," Amelia whispered back as she made a pathetic attempt at a laugh. 

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With intentions good

Was all he ever had

Amelia doubted he was even aware of how flirtatious he was being. 'Besides, it's not his fault. Last week changed everything for him, I know. But still . . . .' Amelia felt her heart clench. 'Does it also change us?' she asked herself. 

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But how do I let go when I've

Loved him for so long and I've

Given him all that I could

The first time they had met he had seemed so cold and creepy to her. She laughed silently at the memory. Who knew then that he would worm his way into her heart? Certainly not Amelia! Her first impressions about him might have had some truth to them, but she learned later that he was also strong, fearless, intelligent, clearheaded, and all the other things she wasn't. 

Even when he acted as if he found her annoying, Amelia had tried to cheer him up. She was always there for him. She was there to tell him he looked nice the way he was, to protect him from an enemy's spell, or even to simply talk to him so he wouldn't get lonely. He had never ever appeared to take any notice of her efforts though. 

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Maybe love is a hopeless crime

Maybe it was a waste of time. Maybe she would never be good enough. Maybe she should just stop trying.

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Giving up what seems your lifetime

Hard as it was to imagine life without her beloved, it looked to be the only just choice in this situation. Zelgadiss would be happier if she wasn't there to hold him back.

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What went wrong with something once so good

At one time the two of them had had something, but things change. She could still treasure that time even if it was past. 'Couldn't she?' Amelia questioned. Lunch was over and she was now in the room her and Zelgadiss shared. Where he was off to was anyone's guess. 

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How do you find the words to say

To say goodbye

When your heart don't have the heart to say

To say goodbye

She made her plans as she sat there alone. Tonight, after he was asleep, she would sneak out the window and back to Saillune. He'd be a little sad at first, but soon he would realize what she already had just come to, that it was better this way.

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I know now I was naive

The real reason Zelgadiss had married her was clear now to Amelia. He had resigned himself to his fate. He had given up hope for anything better. He probably had felt that she would be the only one to love him in his current state: a chimera. That and the fact that she was a princess so he could live out his hell in comfort.

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Never knew where this would lead

But then it had happened. Last week, out of the blue, a cure was found much to Zelgadiss' stupefaction. It was ironic that he had found his cure after he had stopped looking, but Amelia wasn't laughing. Fate was sure cruel, although she had to take some of the blame too. She should have known this would happen.

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And I'm not trying to take away

Oh no!

From the good man that he is

She heard giggling float up into the room and walked to the window curiously. Any hesitation Amelia had about running away vanished the instant she looked outside. Her eyes met with the painful site of her Zelgadiss whispering intimately with some unknown woman. Another giggle escaped the lady's lips as she listened to Amelia's husband speak. Tears that Amelia had managed to hold back since the cure, now fell in rivulets down her blotchy cheeks. 

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But how do I let go when I've

Loved him for so long and I've

Given him all that I could

Amelia had imagined that one-day she would be the one to crack his stony shell, that she would make Zelgadiss happy. But not once in the four years that she'd known him was she ever able to get him out of his depression. The cure did what she wasn't and would never be able to. 'I'm jealous of an inanimate thing!' An ordinary person would have been jealous of the girl outside, but not Amelia. 

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Was it something wrong that we did

A knock on the door startled her. "Who is it?"

"Its Lina so open up!"

"It's not locked."

Her back was to the door so she only heard her fiery friend open the door and walk in. 

"What's up?"

"Nothing Miss Lina. Why do you ask?"

"Don't give me that crap! I'm not blind! You didn't eat anything at lunch; you only sat there frowning! So I ask again: What's up?"

"Miss Lina, do you ever get the feeling that Gourry would be better off not having married you?"

"No. Why would I think a crazy thing like that?"

"I don't know. It was silly to ask."

"Amelia, are you having second thoughts about Zel?"

She looked down ashamed as she replied. "Yes."

"Well stop! Zel's crazy about you. You're crazy about him. End of story. Now quit thinking such nonsense and come out shopping with Filia and me."

Not wanting to argue further Amelia grabbed her cape and followed Lina downstairs. 

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Because others infiltrated

As the three girls walked out of the jewelry shop the sight of Zel with the giggling woman from earlier greeted them. One thing or another would always keep her and Zelgadiss apart. Or so it seemed to Amelia's mind. 'First there was his curse, now it's the cure.' 

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What went wrong with something once so good

Before the other two women could alert Zel to their presence Amelia grabbed them and raced towards the inn. Back in the safety of her room Amelia sunk down onto the bed and into a light sleep. Her dreams of Zelgadiss and herself brought a long forgotten smile to her lips. Amelia dreamt of their honeymoon. Zelgadiss had been as shy as she was. It had been a night of many blushes and laughs.

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How do you find the words to say

To say goodbye

When your heart don't have the heart to say

To say goodbye

She awoke as Zelgadiss slipped into bed. 

"Gomen. I tried not to wake you."

"It's all right."

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Is this the end are you sure

How should you know when you've never been here before

He slipped his arm around her and cuddled up to her. She had thought her crying earlier had been enough; she was wrong. As Zelgadiss rubbed his nose into her neck Amelia felt that salty sweetness fill her eyes once more. She turned her head and kissed his hair.

"I love you Zelgadiss."

"I got you to finally drop the Mister but you still insist on my full name. Not that I'm complaining mind you. In fact, it's rather sexy the way you say it."

Amelia's only answer was to squirm lower and kiss him. She choked on her unshed tears. He was going to make her job harder than it already was. This would be her last night with him, and she wanted to make the most out of it. Zelgadiss was more than happy to oblige her wishes. He deepened the kiss as he rolled on top of her. 

"Your still dressed," Zel growled between kisses. Without waiting for her answer he pulled back and remedied the problem. When he was finished she lay shivering from the exposure. Zel was quick to fix that problem too. Falling back on top of her he didn't continue their kisses but instead nibbled at her ear as his hands roamed her body. Amelia's hands were busy exploring Zelgadiss too.

When he finally entered her she was beyond ready. Sadly, it was all over too soon. 

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It's so hard to just let go

When this is the one and only love I've ever known

Afterwards, as Amelia lay using his smooth chest as a pillow, she listened for his breathing to deepen. Waiting an extra ten minutes, to be sure he was fast asleep, she slid out from underneath his arm. Standing, she threw on the clothes that Zelgadiss had complained about her still having on. It didn't matter to Amelia that they were wrinkled from being on the floor. No one was going to see her anyway. 

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So how do you find the words to say

To say goodbye

When your heart don't have the heart to say

To say goodbye

She slipped off the simple but precious wedding band reluctantly. She then set it on the pillow next to Zelgadiss' face. Now she had only to figure out what to write as a goodbye note. There was so much to say, but Amelia thought less would be better. 

'You're cured, and now you're free too. Don't worry about me. –Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune'

She placed the slip of parchment under the ring. With that taken care of she was off. 

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End file.
